N. Babylon's Hartley helps UConn win 80th in a row
Bria Hartley knocks down a three pointer against Brittney Griner and Baylor during the second half. (Nov. 16, 2010) Credit: Hartford Courant/John Woike
HARTFORD - Freshman Bria Hartley, the former North Babylon McDonald's All-American, scored eight of her nine points in the final 3:56 as No. 1 Connecticut edged No. 2 Baylor, 65-64, last night, extending the Huskies' winning streak to 80.
Maya Moore scored a game-high 30 points for UConn, which held on when Baylor couldn't get off a last shot in time.
The Huskies are eight wins short of matching the 88-game string put together by UCLA's men's team from 1971-74.
Moore missed from the right corner in the closing seconds and the Bears rushed downcourt trying to get off one more shot. Odyssey Sims launched a three-point try from well beyond the arc - it fell short but it didn't matter, as it came too late and wouldn't have counted.
Coach Geno Auriemma covered his head with his hands as he met Baylor coach Kim Mulkey at midcourt, an upset barely averted.
Ahead 44-29 early in the second half, the Huskies suddenly found themselves in trouble when 6-8 star Brittney Griner took over for Baylor. Griner keyed a 27-4 run over the next nine minutes, scoring 11 points on an array of post moves.
The Bears took an eight-point lead with 6:42 to play. Then Hartley emerged for the Huskies.
Trailing 56-48, Moore, Hartley and the Huskies wouldn't let the streak end, closing a physical game with a 17-8 run.
"I thought we played great for long stretches. Baylor is a great team and they made their run," Auriemma said. "Then the improbable happened: People other than Maya began scoring.
"They don't know what it's like to come back from a run."
It's true. The Huskies spent the last two seasons rolling over the rest of women's college basketball, waiting for a real test.
They got one last night.
"Do you see us crying? Could we have won the game?" Mulkey said. "I learned I have a talented basketball team."
Tiffany Hayes added 16 points for Connecticut (2-0). Griner scored 19 points and had nine blocks for the Lady Bears (3-1).
Melissa Jones had a putback for Baylor that made it 65-64 with 36.5 seconds left. UConn ran the clock down and Moore missed with 6 seconds left as the shot clock went off. Having just used its last timeout, Baylor had no choice once Jones grabbed the rebound. The Bears had to get to the basket. Sims brought the ball up the court but her 30-foot attempt fell way short.
It was the 46th time that the top two teams in The Associated Press top 25 poll have played. The No. 1-ranked team holds a 27-19 lead.
This is the earliest that the top teams have met in men's or women's basketball. - AP
